At Least There's No Torpedo
by mintjulep01
Summary: Carol & Bones are sent to a newly discovered alien planet to explore in the name of science and strengthen the amicable contact with the natives. During their away mission, they get to know each other better and eventually fall in love. (Set post-Into Darkness, during the five year mission. Rated T for now, will probably move up to M in future chapters.)
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I started to write this for somebody who wanted a fic about Carol & Bones falling in love and was sad (like myself) that there's so little Carol/Bones fanfic. So I thought I'd give it a shot, even though my English is far from flawless since it isn't my native language. I apologize for any mistakes. Unfortunately I don't have a beta-reader... So just in case there's somebody out there who would be willing to proofread this story and straighten out my errors and awkward sentence structures or whatever strikes you, please let me know! :)

* * *

**Chapter 01 (prologue)**

"Ready, doctor?" Jim fired the cheery question as soon as he entered the transporter room, all ear-to-ear winning grin and typical easygoing Kirk-swagger.

"No", the CMO replied gravely. Indeed, he didn't exactly sound thrilled about the situation. "But that won't keep you from beaming me down there."

"Sorry, Bones. But according to Lieutenant Uhura, the Velosians asked explicitly for you and Dr. Marcus. You made quite an impression the other day during the first contact, and it would be impolite to reject their specific invitation. We want to express our good will, alright?"

McCoy barely held back a snort. "Good will or not, I'm a doctor, not an ambassador. I signed aboard this ship to practice medicine, Jim. Not to deliver mankind's greetings to some alien tribe and attend their foreign rituals and whatnot. I don't even understand their language, for God's sake. Who knows, I might end up marrying into a polygamous alien commune without even realizing."

Kirk's grin widened as he slapped McCoy's shoulder with comradely affection. "Sounds fun to me!"

With a whoosh the doors slid open again and Carol Marcus arrived, fresh and dynamic like a spring breeze. Bones himself, at most times, felt more like a falling autumn leave at the brink of winter. His life wasn't very much painted in bright and blooming colors, metaphorically speaking. And after all the shit he'd been through, he just felt tired and old, sometimes. Older than he actually was anyway.

"Good morning, Captain. Doctor McCoy." The blond science officer smiled when she stepped up to them. In contrast to Bones, her enthusiasm was very obvious. She was looking forward to this mission. _Well,_ McCoy thought sarcastically, _at least one of us!_

"Morning, Dr. Marcus! You ready?" Jim asked Carol and shot his grumpy friend a quick _You-might-wanna-take-a-leaf-out-of-her-book_-look when she replied "Yes, Sir" and sounded just like she couldn't wait.

"It's so exciting!" Scotty chimed in from behind the transporter control panel. "I wish I could go, too. I heard Velosia is like a paradise planet… wild nature, beaches everywhere and bloody sunshine all day long."

"That's true", Kirk confirmed. He knew first-hand, after all he'd been in the landing party together with Bones, Uhura, Spock, Dr. Marcus and a few redshirts from Security department when they had discovered the unknown Earth-type planet some days ago. "This mission will be like shore leave holidays."

McCoy didn't say anything but his furrowed brow expressed a very clear statement of _'Holidays, my ass'_.  
The doctor helped Carol with her baggage and carried the heavier science container onto the transporter platform for her, where he had already piled up his own equipment that he was to bring along on the mission. They also had a large box of durable Starfleet food portions and drinking water, just in case. She followed him with the comparatively modest suitcase that held her personal stuff like clothes and toiletries.

"This is a historic event! We are – well, _you two_ are going to explore a strange new world, seek out new life forms and a new civilization!" Jim cited, as if he was holding a motivational speech in front of the whole gathered crew of 400 men and women, and not just two officers who also were his friends. Said two officers took their places on the platform, getting ready to be beamed down to the planet's surface where the Velosian ambassadors were waiting to welcome the human visitors and deepen the peaceful contact between the two species that had just met for the first time about a week ago.

"Yeah. I'll throw a party later", McCoy quipped dryly, making Carol next to him crack an amused smile.

"See you in three weeks", Dr. Marcus said her goodbye to Scotty and Jim.

"Don't forget to pick us up again", McCoy added, dead-serious.

"I promise", Kirk said, of course with a grin. "Enjoy the trip, guys. At least there's no torpedo this time!" And then: "Mr. Scott, energize!"


	2. Chapter 2

Once they were beamed down and entered a world foreign to both of them, time started to fly.

There was so much to see, so much to do and to try and to learn. The Velosian people were very kind hosts, as it turned out. They lived in perfect harmony with nature, but their technology was highly evolved, which was interesting. They also were very curious about their human guests and eager for scientific as well as cultural exchange. The interspecies communication was coming along much better than McCoy had feared; After running a thorough analysis of the Velosian language for several days, Lieutenant Uhura had programmed two translator devices - one for Dr. McCoy and one for Dr. Marcus - , feeding them a simple yet efficient pattern. The grammar wasn't really spot-on and there were vocabulary gaps the logical syntax of the program failed to fill, but with lots of gestures added to the talks and a little imagination, they were very well capable of understanding what their hosts wanted to say to them and vice versa.

The humans had come in peace, to explore and to make friends, and they were treated as such. There were no unpleasant surprises, no complications or misunderstandings or hostility whatsoever. Carol and Bones weren't forced or required to make an emergency call for the Enterprise to come and rescue them - which McCoy had kind of expected, to be honest. But nothing like that happened and it didn't take long for McCoy to let this whole mission grow on him. He actually started to enoy it; It was nice to be on solid ground, to walk over blooming fields and through jungle-like forests and across beaches by the ocean, instead of being trapped on a spaceship with some high-tech rooms, a network of never-ending corridors and windows that revealed nothing but black space. Velosia was beautiful with its lush flora and manifold wildlife and the cities and villages that were almost seamlessly nested in the impressive landscapes. And Bones just loved that he could get up at nights, open the door of the accommodation the natives had provided them with, and step out to get some fresh air. You couldn't do things like that when you were stuck in a giant tin can in space.

He was still wary when it came to food issues, though. A few days into the mission, Carol still caught him giving the local food the skeptical eye when they managed to have lunch or dinner together and she started to tease him about it. Of course, Dr. Marcus had been the brave one of the two of them, boldly eating the weirdest looking fruit that Bones had ever seen in his whole life, right away on the first day they had arrived here. Later, when they had a moment alone, she had told him it would have been very impolite if both of them had rejected the welcoming snack and that it tasted much better than it looked. And that he should try it, too, and wouldn't regret it. Bones had told her thanks but no thanks, and that it would be inconvenient if _both_ of them fell ill with alien food poisoning.

* * *

They didn't see each other all of the time. After the Velosians had been showing them around on the first day and the two human doctors had handed over their gifts to the foreign people and then had settled in their guest quarters which happened to be quite cozy bungalow huts in a native jungle colony, they basically spent most of the upcoming days separated from each other. They worked a lot, each of them collecting data and samples on different territory, or having get-togethers and conversations with Velosian scientists, physicians, ambassadors, diplomats and technicians, answering their questions and asking many questions in return.  
However, Carol and Bones had agreed on meeting up once during the day (if possible), as well as every evening for the time of their stay. They also had their communicators to keep in touch over longer distances, but it was always good to actually see a familiar face and make certain that the other one was alive and kicking.  
Since their guest quarters were right next to each other, there was not one single day they didn't end with saying Goodnight to one another face-to-face.

And those goodnight conversations grew longer with each passing day, until they reached the point of spending a full hour in front of their doors before finally calling it a day.

At first, they just talked about their experiences on Velosia, what they had seen and learned and what plans they had for the next day. They asked if the other one needed any assistance with anything. Stuff like that. It was mostly Carol talking and McCoy listening, nodding and making acknowledging mmhmm-noises; the female science officer usually seemed to be a very even-tempered person who was in good control of herself (not so much in a stiff but rather well-behaved kind of way), but when she spoke of her work and of all the interesting scientific findings she had made during the day, she could get pretty excited and went on and on about it, talking at warp speed. Bones didn't mind, he kind of liked to listen to her. She was so overly enthusiastic about everything, it was really lovely.

At some point during their conversations, McCoy would always squeeze in the question if Carol was doing alright or if the heat and extremely high air moisture of the planet's natural environment got to her. He could have given her something that helped, just in case she felt faint or groggy. He had brought along medical equipment after all, but she seemed just fine.

"I'm only sweating like crazy", she said when he brought it up for the umpteenth time.  
"Tell me about it", he grumbled, and for a short moment they shared a little smile.

Of course it was just his job and it wasn't surprising that he asked and cared about her well-being so much.


	3. Chapter 3

One week went by. One week filled with exciting discoveries, interesting work, exhausting expeditions and so many overall new experiences for the two Starfleet officers that it was almost too much input to process in so little time. Each day they got up very early and went to bed late, catching only a few hours of sleep. The extreme heat of the planet added to the fatigue that was starting to wear them down. Carol seemed to be less affected than Bones, but she didn't really protest when on Day Nine, he declared that they should take a day off to have a good rest and this was _'Doctor's orders'_. Sure they had come here to collect and sort a lot of data and useful scientific information, but they were no machines and they needed a bit of recreational time.

It was Carol's idea to go to one of the plenty beaches and when she asked McCoy if he wanted to come along, he nodded, because why not?

So here they were, lazing around on one of the most exotic and beautiful beaches either of them had ever seen. The fine and supersoft sand was of a rich red color, almost crimson, sprinkled with some bright orange here and there. And the brilliant emerald green of the wide ocean was glistening in the sun; In fact Velosia had triple suns that glared down on them and heated up the planet's surface. Carol and Bones had settled in the shadow underneath one of these very alien-looking palmtrees or whatever type of plant it was; They were not only growing along the beach, but weirdly also in the ocean where scattered cyan stems protruded from the surface of the water and reached high above into the bright sky. It was an impressive view.

Even though they were resting in the shadow, it was still _'hot like goddamn hell'_ as Bones liked to complain. They were both sweating, even though they had discarded their uniforms for today. The CMO was in a simple T-shirt and shorts and barefoot, while the weapon's specialist had stripped down to a blue one-piece swimsuit that was more sporty and practical than actually seductive, but it showed her smashing figure anyway. Bones tried hard not to throw obtrusive glances at her curves which were - admittedly - pretty appealing.

They talked a bit about personal stuff (like where they came from and if they always wanted to become a doctor and a physicist), snacked on some fruits and those interesting sweet sticks the people in the Velosian colony had introduced them to, or just relaxed in comfortable silence. All in all, a lazy day - and right now it felt like shore leave, indeed. But Bones would never admit that to Jim later.

* * *

At one point during their day at the beach, after Bones had repeatedly called her _Dr. Marcus_ in their little conversations, she suggested: "Why don't you just call me Carol." Offering a friendly, genuine smile, she shrugged her petite shoulders. "It feels strange to cling to formalities when we're chilling on the beach in swimwear."

McCoy cracked a lopsided smile by raising just the right corner of his mouth. "Yeah I guess so", he replied with a slight drawl.

"Well, hello then, it's lovely to meet you, _Leonard_", Carol said playfully, emphasizing the doctor's first name. She had known his full name of course, but she had never addressed him on a private and informal level like this before. Truth to be told, it felt quite nice.

"My pleasure, Miss Carol", was the reply from the man who sat next to her; His tone seemed dry but the mischievous glint in his expressive eyes gave away that he was actually enjoying this. Carol grinned, amused by Dr. McCoy's refusal to wholly discard the formalities. It may have come across as a bit snippy on his part, like a rejection of her proposal to move to a more casual tone, but for some reason it didn't. In fact she found it pretty charming that he still insisted on calling her 'Miss'. It was a bit old-fashioned, but in such an endearing way.

"I'm going for a swim", she then declared and rose to her feet. "Do you care to join me?" Of course she was only asking because it would have been impolite not to do so. It had absolutely nothing to do with her silently growing and hidden desire to see the grumpy doctor with his shirt off. Why did he wear a shirt to the beach on a hot day like this anyway? Not that it was any of her business.

"Nah..." Bones dismissed the question with a little wave of his hand while Carol was busy brushing the fine sand from her legs where it clung to her smooth skin. He couldn't help risk a glance or two, but he was discreet enough so she didn't notice. Or so he imagined.

"You go have fun. I'll stay here…" _and enjoy the view_, that was what he was thinking. Dr. Marcus was a gorgeous woman after all, with that deliciously curvy body, with her lovely and great smile that could easily beat sunshine in midsummer, and that cute blond bob that had started to frizz and curl up from the high air moisture of the planet's environment, now framing her blue-eyed face with tousled strands of untypical wavy hair.

"…and do some work. Gotta check some more of the evaluation files." He pulled out the PADD he'd brought along in his bag and, when Carol looked at him, swiveled the device as if to prove his point. As a reply, Carol put her hands on her hips – _God, those sexy hips,… stop thinking about it, Leonard!_ – and gave him the most reproachful look with both of her delicate eyebrows raised.

"Excuse me, I could have sworn you said something about taking a day off. Or do the doctor's orders not apply to the doctor himself?" she argued. It was hard to tell if she was serious or joking. Probably a mixture of both.

"Point taken, Lieutenant Mar… erm, I mean, _Carol_. Look, let me just finish these few files I got left before I'll join you, okay?"

She seemed content with that compromise and nodded. "Okay, that's a deal. Don't overwork yourself, Doc." She actually winked at him – or was he starting to see things he wanted to see and she was only reflex-blinking against the bright sunshine? He was still pondering when Carol turned around and headed down to where the soft waves of the shimmering green Velosian ocean sloshed and rippled on the crimson shore.

"My goodness", McCoy muttered to himself as he watched his dropdead-gorgeous colleague stroll down the foreign beach. Somehow she seemed graceful without making an effort, the way she strode through the sand on her bare tiny feet, round hips swaying naturally, and the hot breeze playing with her shoulder-length hair. He tried to battle down the upsurge of serious desire which threatened to conquer the better part of him, but it was getting harder and harder to ignore the attraction he obviously felt for her. He and Carol had always gotten along quite well ever since they had met for the first time, especially after she had saved his life during the torpedo incident, and there had been times they had been a bit flirty, but it had always felt very lighthearted and not-so-serious. They had only been joking; They seemed to share a similar kind of humour after all, even if McCoy's sarcasm was bold and sometimes even gruff while Carol excelled in much more subtle yet sharp-witted irony. So yes, they liked each other, they had some common ground that made it easy for them to get on well. However, Bones had never really seen Carol the way he saw her now, and by that he didn't mean the bathing suit – well, not _only_ the bathing suit, because she was a stunner in it and he wasn't immune to that kind of thing. But she was a wonderful woman all around. Smart, self-confident, witty, vibrant, funny and beautiful. He really appreciated her company.

And suddenly it dawned on him, that Carol seemed to really enjoy his company too, especially since they were on this away mission. All those long talks they had in the evenings, the shared lunch breaks for which Carol often popped up at the laboratory he was allowed to busy himself at during their stay and browse the medical library databases, and it had been _her_ idea to spend their day off at the beach _together_. She was actively trying to spend time with him, without being pushy or anything, because she was a low-key person in general (one of the many things he liked about her). And he was pretty sure she didn't just do it because he simply was the only one around to hang out with. Carol was very self-dependant and she also liked to have quiet moments of peaceful privacy; It didn't bother her to spend time on her own, presumably not even on a foreign planet, so there had to be a different reason for her to stick around. He was such a moron for not realizing this earlier.

It took 0.2 seconds for Bones to cram the bloody PADD into the bag and jump to his feet. Dr. Marcus was already wading the water that reached up to her thighs.

"Carol, wait!" he shouted after her while struggling with his shirt that wouldn't come off as smoothly and quickly as he wished. Damn shirt!

She was bending over a little, to let her hands run through the water in a way that indicated she was lost in thought, but now she straightened up again and turned back to where the beach – and McCoy – was. She held one hand to her forehead to shield her eyes from the sun, but he could still see that she smiled, even from afar.

"Hurry up!" she yelled back to him and he could actually _hear_ the grin in her chirpy voice. "Do you see the tree over there? The big one with the blueish shading?" She pointed at one of the trees that stood deeper in the ocean. "I bet I'll be there first!"

"Too hot for a race, I'll suffer a heat stroke I tell you", he replied as he walked towards her over the warm sand.

"Oh _please_, what a lame excuse! Why don't you just admit that you don't stand the slightest chance in beating me?" she went on teasing him, one hand placed on her hip again while the other was still protecting her eyes from the sun.

"Yeah right, in your dreams, Lady!" Bones teased her back. He heard a little giggle and then she just took a graceful header, dove into the ocean and started swimming towards the tree the second she surfaced again.

"No Carol wait, I… argh, _dammit_…!" He picked up pace and quickly got into the water to catch up with her.

He just hoped it was true what the local people and the scanners had told them, namely that there were no giant poisonous alien fish in there, or some other hostile and deadly creatures waiting near the shore to eat some stupid space tourists who happened to swim by.


	4. Chapter 4

((A/N: Thank you so much for the lovely and encouraging reviews, guys! It's much appreciated and I'm glad you enjoy the little story))

* * *

**Chapter 4**

Two days later, there was going to be a feast at the colony they were staying at. Apparently it had to do with the Velosian religion and their Gods, but the two human guests from planet Earth were kindly invited to take part at the festivity. The great banquet was to happen outdoors in the exotic woods that surrounded the village.  
Carol and Bones didn't know what to expect exactly, but - in the wise words of Dr. McCoy - a party was a party, no matter which corner of the galaxy you were celebrating at.

They now were halfway through the mission, with ten more days to go until the Enterprise would come and pick them up again. Time was running really fast.  
The people of Velosia were so different, not only in looks and language but also in their general behavior and customs. However, their unswerving hospitality and amicability made it easy for the Starfleet Officers to feel comfortable in the midst of the tribe. They both had made 'friends' within the colony during the past days. There were two Velosian siblings (one male and the other one female) who were working at the technical station Carol frequented on a daily basis and they seemed to like the petite blond woman from another world. Carol would ask them a million questions and they took delight in showing her everything and asking her questions about where she came from in return. She also showed Jarun and Jizah - those were their names - some pieces of classic arts and music from Earth that were stored on one of her PADDs and they were curious and excited about it all like little children. Which was a peculiar sight, given the fact that the people of Velosia were much taller than humans. Even Jizah, the shorter female, still was about two heads taller than Dr. McCoy.  
Also, they were pretty tough in their overall appearance. Strong and wiry physique with a dark complexion, the color varying between different shades of muddy grays and browns, moss-green and coal-black. They didn't have soft and vulnerable skin like Carol and Leonard, and this was the most intriguing aspect because the greater part of their bodies was coated in very fine scales, some regions even iridescent when sunshine hit them. Carol was captivated and she was silently squealing inside when Jarun allowed her to touch his bare arm. The scales felt warm and smooth and not at all as hard or coarse as she had expected.

In the meantime, Bones had made the acquaintance of a very interesting and skilled local biologist at one of the labs. He was called Makhizan and had offered McCoy to assist him in one of his current projects, if the guest would be so kind to swap some of his human knowledge of biology and medicine in return. Bones was game of course, this was what they were here for, after all. And he loved those hours at the lab, examining genetic patterns he'd never seen before and dipping into expert talk with his reptilian-humanoid alien colleague - at least as far as the translator devices allowed it. He really hated to quote the hobgoblin, but it was all very _fascinating_.

* * *

In the evening, Jizah picked them up at their huts and together they walked to the clearing where the celebration was going to take place for the night. It was pretty crowded but peaceful and everyone was engaged in conversation. The only sources of light were large plants with fluorescent blossoms, most of them blue, purple and a few pink ones. They almost looked like huge colorful light bulbs, only prettier.

"This is amazing", Carol said to Bones who sat by her side on a bench. She was truly in awe. "Have you ever seen anything this beautiful?"

McCoy turned his head to look at her and watched the softly glowing play of colors tint her light hair and face in the dim twilight.  
"No", he said. "I haven't."

* * *

In the end it proved that McCoy's assumption had been correct. The course of the celebration wasn't so different from the parties they knew. There was a lot of food and a special drink (no alcohol but some really tasty liquid that was an intriguing blend of sweet and sour with a delicious aftertaste neither of them could identify as a familiar flavor), and a lot of music, including singing and dancing. The sounds and melodies of the tunes were very exotic though, and it took some time for their human ears to get the hang of the weird rhythms.

Suddenly Jizah popped up and tried to animate them to join the dancing. Bones just laughed and shook his head, but Carol was standing and ready to go in a heartbeat.

"Come on!" she said and nudged his shoulder. He was sitting there with his arms folded across his chest defensively and the skeptical furrow between his eyebrows only got deeper when she asked in her most formal and charming voice: "Please Dr. McCoy, may I have the pleasure of this dance?"

"Trust me, sweetheart, you don't wanna dance with me", he told her, basically warning her about his lack of dancing skills, but Carol didn't buy it.

"Don't be shy." She was teasing him now, he could tell. He looked up at her face and she was smiling at him, and for a short moment there was a little spark of _something_ between them. McCoy was tempted to grab her by the hand and let Carol pull him with her. He didn't do it though.

Instead, he just muttered, "I can't dance, you know."

"That's – again – a lame excuse, doctor. Everyone can dance _somehow_, it's really not that hard. Besides, it's just for fun, we're not lining up in a competition, are we?"

"I didn't even dance at my own wedding."

"Oh…" There was an awkward pause, as Carol was taken aback a bit. She tried to not let it show but failed. McCoy could see the tiny hint of regret in her big eyes when she calmly added: "I didn't know you were married."

"I'm not. I received the divorce papers even before I joined Starfleet", Bones cleared up her misconception of the situation.

"Oh", Carol said again, her voice softening. "I'm sorry to hear that, Leonard." It sounded like a very genuine, sympathizing comment, not just some meaningless phrase because it was the polite thing to say.

Bones just shrugged it off. "It's a long time ago. Didn't work out. End of story."

She sensed that he didn't want to talk about it really and therefore didn't ask any further. McCoy was grateful for that – but it didn't make him more compliant. He still wasn't willing to join the dancing, but he was very willing to watch on as Carol followed Jizah anyway. Without any fear or reservations she mingled with the Velosians, even trying to learn and copy their native dancing style. She was actually pretty good at adapting.

Bones couldn't help thinking that she looked like a tiny, delicate pixie amidst all those significantly larger and darker aliens. The way she danced between them, _with_ them, her silky blond hair flying and bouncing with each and every twirl and hop. Carol was confident in her skin and clearly enjoying herself and it was a beautiful picture to behold. Actually, McCoy wasn't sure if he had ever seen her so carefree and cheerful. Probably not, but that was no wonder, after all that had happened during the horrific episode with Khan and the personal tragedy that had hit her along with it. She had been very quiet for a long while afterwards, retreating into her shell and busying herself with working overtime. Bones could relate to that; Sometimes you just needed some isolation to cope with your grief and sort out the chaos in your head. And eventually, time would help you heal. Maybe not in a week or in a month or even a year. But it would get better and you would realize that life was still worth living.

When Carol noticed that he was watching her, she waved to him. Her radiant smile didn't falter. And before he knew it, Bones smiled back with a rare smile that was actually big enough to make his dimples come out.

* * *

It was hours later that the feast was slowly coming to an end and the two Enterprise crewmembers retreated to their accommodations to go to sleep. They didn't hurry on their route back to the village though, but took their time enjoying the late-night walk through the tropical forest as well as each other's company. Carol was beaming the whole time and Bones thought that she should smile more often because it was so beautiful to watch. Her smile was just stunning and also very infectious.

As they walked side by side, Bones offered her his arm without saying a word and Carol latched on tenderly. For a short moment, she even leaned her head against his shoulder and he felt a warm flutter somewhere in his belly. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt like this.

"I can't remember the last time I had so much fun", Carol voiced just a second later, as if she had read his mind. McCoy had to swallow before he could reply. Suddenly his mouth was dry like a desert.

"Me neither."

She raised her head and eyed him from the side with a little grin. "And you were glued to the bench the whole time! Imagine the fun you could have had if you actually joined the dancing." Her hand slid down his forearm and slipped into his hand, just like that. As if it was the most natural thing in the world. And somehow this was what it felt like. The most natural thing.

"Maybe next time", Bones said and gently interlaced their fingers.

* * *

About fifteen more minutes later they reached the huts they were staying at. They were still holding hands, even as they stood and turned to face each other.

"See you in the morning then?" Carol asked.

Her hand felt so tiny in McCoy's. His thumb was stroking her skin and it made her smile sweetly at him. He didn't really reply to her question – he just pulled her closer, and when she realized he was going in for a kiss, she pushed herself up on her tiptoes and met him halfway. Wrapping her free arm around his neck, she nestled up against his broad and solid body as they shared a first and very lovely, unhurried kiss. McCoy still held her by the hand; His other arm had slipped around her waist, holding her in an embrace that felt both tender and secure.

Carol closed her eyes and a tiny sigh escaped her when Leonard's gorgeous, impossibly soft lips pressed down on her mouth a little more intensely, slowly deepening the kiss. She could have kissed him like that forever, she mused. As she gently nibbled on those heavenly lips she fantasized about him putting them to good use between her legs; The thought was arousing and she kissed him more hungrily. The slow, sensual glide of their touching tongues triggered an overwhelming feeling of want and need in Carol; She felt a familiar, pulsing heat between her thighs, just from this one kiss alone.

Breathlessly, she ended the kiss way too quickly, but she felt like she couldn't take it much longer. Bones had to stop kissing her like this. Either that, or she would be all over him and wouldn't leave it until he agreed to fuck her senseless. Jesus, she wanted to rip those clothes off of him so badly and … _Carol, stop!_

"I better go now and have some rest. We've got to get up early tomorrow", she whispered close to those desirable lips, even though this wasn't what she really wanted. Being more of a head person than a heart person, she figured this was just the best way to go about it. She wasn't the kind of girl who was quick to jump in anyone's bed, and surely she didn't want McCoy to have this impression of her. She wasn't like that at all. It was just… well… she hadn't had sex for so long, and Leonard tasted and smelled so fine, and his body felt _so good_ pressed against her own, and his kisses made her knees wobbly and her heart race like mad,…

"Alright then, sweet dreams." Bones accepted her decision without any obvious hint of anger or serious irritation, gently pressed his lips to hers for one last time and eventually let go of her, if only reluctantly. "Goodnight, Carol. See you tomorrow."

"Goodnight", she replied softly and with a faint smile, then turned on her wobbly legs to go and enter her hut.

* * *

When she was finally sitting on the bed alone, with her feelings and hormones all upside-down, she wanted to slap herself. And at the same time she could have hugged herself with joy, because she felt so excited inside and – right now – there was nobody else she could have hugged.


	5. Chapter 5

((A/N: Sorry for the long wait! Here's the next chapter finally))

* * *

They didn't meet right away the next morning. When Carol got up, McCoy had already left for work at the lab. However, he had sent a private message to her PADD which she discovered a few minutes after she had woken up. A smile was on her face as she read the short text.

_**Good morning, Carol. Had to leave early today. How about lunch later? L.**_

This shouldn't be a big deal, really. They'd had lunch together several times during this whole mission. But somehow, today felt different. Maybe because Bones had never before asked "officially" if she wanted to have a meal together with him – and she hadn't asked him the other way round, either. They had just met up very unceremoniously and had had lunch. Like colleagues who went to the mess hall together. It wasn't really a meaningful candlelight dinner, right? Strange how such a little text message suddenly could make it feel somewhat like a date, though. Or maybe it was because of what had happened last night. The kiss.

Anyway, she was looking forward to seeing McCoy. And judging from his message, he felt the same way about her.

She wrote back without much ado:

_**I'll be there. Carol.**_

Then she packed her stuff and got ready for work.

* * *

In the end, lunch turned out to be nothing like a date at all. Jizah and Makhizan joined them from the beginning and were glued to their human guests' sides, so they didn't have time or the opportunity to talk alone in private. Carol and Bones didn't kiss or hug when they met up at the laboratory canteen, since they were both on duty and it would have been unprofessional and also a bit awkward with all those alien people watching them, especially regarding their respective foreign colleagues they both had in tow. But there were quite some deep looks and secret little smiles they shared across the table while they were enjoying their meals and cooled drinks.

The quartet of scientists engaged in inspiring conversation during lunch and McCoy talked about a specific plant he wanted to go and search for. He believed he could make use of it for his medical research concerning the further development of a particular antiserum he had been working on for months. It was a rare plant, even on this planet, but Makhizan showed them on the virtual maps in which region to find it - if he was lucky. Carol suggested that she could help Bones look for it. He approved of it and they agreed on meeting in two hours to start the little expedition.

Bones was really looking forward to it. He liked to stroll through the amazing nature of the planet, and it would be even better with this gorgeous woman by his side. In fact he couldn't wait to spend more time alone with her and maybe repeat yesterday's kiss and all. It had felt really good to hold her in his arms. His last romantic relationship had ended ages ago and now that there were those tender sparks coming up between him and Carol, he felt that he was absolutely ready for something new. No matter how grouchy he could appear to everyone, he actually had a heart under all his sarcastic, cantankerous demeanor. And a very big and caring heart at that. Maybe he wasn't the irresistible womanizer or perfect heartthrob of whole Starfleet, but he didn't strive after celibacy either. And he really liked Carol. A lot.

So he was kind of upset and impatient when shortly after lunch he realized that he wouldn't make it to their appointment in time. Something at the lab got in the way and messed up his whole schedule for today. He contacted Carol to apologize and tell her that they had to postpone their expedition, unfortunately. But they could still go tomorrow, right? It would be much better to start in the morning anyway, with the whole day ahead of them, instead of leaving for this sort of quest so late in the afternoon.

* * *

Later, when he was done for today at the lab, he went to the technical station he knew Carol had been spending her day at because he wanted to surprise her and pick her up. Maybe they could go for a walk and then have dinner together and then… well… do other nice stuff.  
As it turned out, Carol beat him to it by being the one to surprise him. She wasn't at the technical station at all but had left about one and a half hours ago to search for the plant on her own account, Jizah told McCoy who wasn't very happy to hear that. Not really because Carol obviously didn't feel the need to have his company, but because she was out there in the alien jungle all on her own and it was _dangerous_, for God's sake! What was she thinking?

Of course he left the colony as quickly as possible to go after her, grumbling and muttering to himself as he made his way deeper and deeper into the tropical moist forest. It took a while but finally he found her, with the help of the marked map on his PADD and the tricorder to scan the surrounding areas. He was drenched in sweat and not exactly in the best mood when he caught up with her.

"Carol! Why the hell did you go without me? I thought we agreed on going tomorrow?! Are you okay?"

"Why shouldn't I be okay? I'm fine… And I figured that I could start today and scout a part of the area. It'll save us some time for tomorrow. This plant you want is worse than a needle in a haystack. I didn't find a trace of it yet." Her voice was very matter-of-factly, her face somewhere between neutral and friendly. She heard that he was pissed off a bit, but didn't take it so seriously. He was McCoy, after all. He barked a lot, but never really had the bad intention to bite anyone. She actually smiled when she saw the look of reproach in McCoy's eyes that were staring at her.

"Don't tell me you were worried, Doctor. I can take care of myself." She gave his chest a gentle, almost loving pat as she walked past him, continuing to scan the area.

"I'm sure you can, _Lieutenant_, but it's always safer to go as a pair", Bones pointed out, following Carol through clusters of giant crimson fern. "It's sweet of you to help me, really, but I don't want you to put yourself in any danger by running off into the jungle all on your own. What if – _oomph!_" Before he knew it, Bones bumped into Carol's back, almost knocking her over. She had stopped walking all of a sudden and now stood rooted to the ground.

"Look!" Carol, ignoring everything he had just said, pointed up to a mossy hill that was protruding the lush trees in front of them. Bones followed her pointing finger with his eyes and discovered a single plant with little yellow blossoms nested high at the steep side of the slope. "What do you think", she said, turning to him with an enthusiastic grin on her pretty face, "Will you forgive me for coming here without you if I pluck this magical plant for you?"

He sighed in defeat, almost rolling his eyes. "You know, usually it's the man who gets flowers for the girl he likes, and not the other way round…"

Carol just laughed, said something about him being far too old-fashioned and took his hand to pull him with her towards the hill.

At the foot of the mountain, they argued over which one of them should climb up there to get the plant. McCoy insisted he should do it because _he_ was the one who wanted the damn thing for his work after all, and he didn't want Carol to go through all the trouble while he just waited down here like a lazy ass. Carol on the other hand said that he could keep an eye on her and – if need be – catch her if she slipped and fell. If _he_ fell and _she_ tried to catch him, he'd just crush her. Also, if they wasted any more time on this discussion, neither of them could collect the flower because it was close to dusk already and they wanted to be back at the village before it was getting dark. So he finally gave in and let Carol get her way. _Stubborn woman… _

While Carol was a fearless and swift climber, Bones was a tense and agitated watcher. He couldn't really stand still and was totally stressed out not even a minute after Carol had started to tackle the ascent. He almost had a heart attack when it looked as if she was losing her balance up there. McCoy couldn't wait for her to get back on solid ground, preferably without any minor or major injuries from tumbling down a mountain. Holding his breath, he watched her finally reaching the plant, carefully cutting it free around a bunch of its roots and storing it in the small transparent bio-box she had taken with her. She slid the box into the bag that was strapped across her torso, gave Bones a cute thumbs-up and then started to climb all the way back down again.

"Good job, Carol! Now please be careful and go slow! I don't want to have a last-minute medical emergency at hand."

Carol stopped her climbing midway and turned her head to throw a glance at Bones over her shoulder. She was smiling and wanted to reply that she wasn't surprised he wanted her to slow down, given the presumably spectacular view he had from his current position. She was wearing her uniform dress, after all.  
The smile faded quickly though, making way for a very serious face with big and alarmed eyes.

"Watch out!" she yelled at McCoy and had her phaser up and ready in no time, still clinging to the moss-covered mountain wall with her other hand.

Bones spun around to where Carol was aiming at, just to see something very big and very fast jumping towards him. It happened so quickly that he couldn't even react; The animal didn't miss its target and pulled McCoy to the ground with a roar, the impact knocking all air from his lungs when his back hit the ground and the heavy weight of the creature pressed down on his chest. He tried to shield his head with his arms, even though he knew it wouldn't really help much. Judging from the size of this thing on top of him – and the size of the giant fangs that were too damn close to his face – it could just bite them off without any effort at all. First the arms and then his head.

McCoy was expecting the pain of those razorblade fangs digging into his flesh, tearing his skin and body open, breaking and crushing his bones as if they were nothing but fragile wooden toothpicks – but it didn't happen. Instead, the heavy animal just slumped down on him the second they crashed to the floor together, and lay there on top of him. It didn't move at all. For a moment, Bones couldn't see anything and had difficulties with his breathing because he was kind of buried under the massive body which felt like it weighed about a ton, but he could hear Carol's muffled voice, shouting his name. She sounded absolutely terrified.

He struggled to push the alien animal away from him, and when it finally toppled to the side, releasing him from the weight, he saw that Carol was bending over him. Obviously she had not only stunned the attacking creature with a well-targeted shot, but also had jumped from the slope of the hill to run to him at warp speed and help to free him. She was a little out of breath.

"Leonard!" She dropped to her knees beside him and helped him to sit up, her big and worried eyes searching his features for signs of severe pain, and scanning his clothes for blood from fresh and open wounds. She didn't find any. The next moment they were both wrapping their arms around each other, hugging closely. "Are you alright?!"

"I'm okay, I'm okay", he assured her, squeezing her tight in his embrace and holding her close. He felt her face pressed against his neck, her warm breath on his skin. "Thanks to you, actually. Damn, you're one hell of a markswoman... Remind me to never get in a serious fight with you."

She chuckled with relief and squeezed him too, her arms tightening around his shoulders and the fingertips of her right hand gently brushing the hairline at his neck. "You have no idea. I throw vases like a champion."

"I quite believe it", he replied and softly kissed her ear – and then her mouth when Carol pulled back a bit and her face was right in front of his. She kissed him back eagerly, her fingers stroking through his dark hair, and smiled at him when their lips disconnected after a very long and very wonderful moment. Then they let go off each other again, got to their feet and dusted off the dirt that stuck to their blue science uniforms. Bones ran a scan of the motionless animal to check on it, just to be on the safe side and make sure it didn't get injured when it fell. Apparently it was fine, and only unconscious from the phaser stun hit.

"It'll wake up in a while", Leonard said slowly, staring at the displayed tricorder data. "If you ask me, it would be a good idea to get the hell out of here in time."

"Agreed. We got what we wanted, didn't we?" Carol said, patting the bag where the bio-box was securely stored and stressing the point that there was no need to stay any longer. Bones nodded, a tiny smirk on his soft lips.

"Yeah, we did", he said and she had a feeling that he didn't mean the plant.

Hand in hand, they made their way back to the colony.


End file.
